Lost and Found
by ravingleo
Summary: A trip to Vienna that was supposed to be just a run of the mill book expo, ends up putting the Grey family in danger. Can Christian save Ana, if he doesn't know she's in trouble?
1. Chapter 1

**Prologue**

 _The room was dark, too dark. Her head felt heavy. No, this wasn't the way it was supposed to go. Something was wrong. This wasn't Vienna._

 _"Where am I? Who are you? Where have you taken me? Look ... just... just let me go and it'll be fine... there's people looking for me right now"_

 _A cackled voice breaks in the room, there's static, it's over an intercom._

 _"No one is looking for you... Anastasia Grey... they're never going to look for you again."_

 _"What are you talking about?" Rage and fear unfurled slowly in her gut. "Christian... he... he's looking for me, I know he is... he'll never stop looking for me... he's going to find me... and kill you!"_

 _Laughter over the intercom..._

 _"No, Anastasia, he won't be looking for you... because he's got no use for you any more"_

 **Chapter 1**

"No, Ana, I said no!" Gray eyes clouded with fury turned on me.

"I can't allow this! You've lost your mind if you think I'd let you take off to Vienna! Alone at that! And with everything else that's going on! No absolutely not"

"Christian, you can't forbid me! I never said I'd obey remember!" I could be just as stubborn as him.

 _That's it Ana, you tell him,_ my subconscious was out dressed in her Xena outfit. This was something I had to do.

"Look if it's Vienna, then let me take you, once the deal with the Japanese is done, we can take a vacation there"

 _Urgh, why is this man so infuriating, what am I a child? I've had two children for god's sake!_

"It's not about Vienna or a vacation, Christian, I want to go for the conference, it's part of my job to represent GP at these things... You know this already! It's only for a few days, I'll be back before you even have a chance to miss me" I tried to reason with him gently.

"And what about Ted and Phoebe? What will they do while you're off gallivanting on your own?"

Petulant as ever, my fifty, but I was beginning to wear him down.

"Christian, you make it sound like I'm going for some crazy clandestine canoodling! It's. A. Conference... Ted and Phoebe will be fine, they can do without me for a week and it'll do them some good to see their mom work. Besides, Gail will have everything under control here"

"I just don't see why Hannah can't go instead of you, you should be home, resting and taking care of the children, not off on your own in some strange place"

"I'm not arguing this with you any longer, Christian, I'm telling you I'm going, so you might as well make your peace with it."

"So that's it then?"

I turned to face him and was taken by surprise. I expected pools of rage, but saw only heartbreak.

"Christian, it's not a big deal," I said softly, hoping I could reach him. "It's just a few days baby, I'll be home soon."

I could feel his need for me, his irrational compulsion to keep me locked up in his ivory tower. "It's not like I'm leaving for months, it's just a book expo. I need to do this, you know I do, you've always known that this is who I am."

 _'Do you really think I'd leave our children or you?'_ My subconscious was being a bit of a wiseass.

Ted and Phoebe were older now, they had school and their friends, and honestly it would be nice to do things for myself again.

"It's important to me. I wish you'd understand that"

He looked at me with his still hurt expression. My fifty had always been so possessive.

"Alright... fine" he said softly.

 _He's not happy but he's giving in._

"But you're taking the jet ... and Taylor.. and Sawyer ... and you have to make sure you take care of yourself!"

He takes my face in his hands and kisses me, a deep passionate kiss.

"I'd never forgive myself if anything happened to you Ana, I just want to keep you safe, I love you, you have to know that"

"I know that baby, I love you too, and I promise I'll take care of myself."

It had been two weeks since my little fainting spell and Christian had been unrelenting in his protectiveness of me. He'd been in Japan and I'd been so caught up in errands that I'd completely forgotten to eat during the day. Normally this wouldn't have been an issue, since Gail always packs lunch, but just my luck that she'd been off that day. Between getting both kids ready for school and running around with picking out the furniture for Ted's new room, I'd just gotten completely sidetracked. And that led to the great Starbucks fall of 2018, because well, why fall without an audience after all. One call from a worried bodyguard, one trip to Seattle General, a follow up with Grace and two furious dominant sessions later, and my loving husband was still smarting from my slip up. Ten years of marriage and Christian could still be as possessive and protective as he was in the beginning. Time and our children had tempered him a bit, but underneath he was still the little boy aching for love, and the young man trying desperately to protect his family. I understood his need to protect us and I loved him for it, but we found a way for his needs to coexist with mine. I guess that's what made our marriage so great.

A sound of the main door opening, it was time for Ted and Phoebe to be home from school. Christian and I had debated extensively on whether to put them in private schools or not, I'd been firmly against the idea, but in the end he'd won me over. It wasn't that I was against private school, but growing up in the public school system, I had great faith in the contribution it made to a child's social skills. Of course, fifty would have none of it. For someone who would buy a company just so his kids could have custom made toys, it was unfathomable to put them in the 'drug addled toxic environment of a public school, out of the question!'

 _"Alright fine! No public school, but please Christian you've got to let them have some normal childhood experiences, you can't have them growing up thinking everything will be handed over in a platter"_

 _"They deserve everything on a platter, and I've worked very hard my whole life Ana, why shouldn't they benefit from it?"_

 _"They need to know that the real world isn't like this, they need to face rejection once in a while Christian."_

 _"I don't ever want them to feel rejection Ana, I want them to have what I never did as a child. I just want them to feel loved unconditionally"_

In the end, he'd won out of course, we'd settled on private school and summer camps up in the mountains. So that they could meet all kinds of people, post background checks of course. Christian would always be Christian.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

It was cold in the early morning at Sea-Tac when we got off the car. Christian picked up half asleep Phoebe and I took Ted's hand. A slight twinge of guilt pricked at me. This was the first time I was leaving them. _Maybe I should stay,_ a small voice inside me said. _Hannah could easily fill in for me, and it's not like GP really needs the publicity._ A slight shudder escaped me and I tried to focus on the task at hand. "You can still say no, you know," Christian and I were both looking at the jet, "I can call Hannah and have her here, I'll even give her the jet to go, if that's what you want."

I turned to face him, and took in the picture of my husband, our five year old daughter in his arms.

"I love you baby. Thank you for helping me do this."

Christian smiled, finally.

"You and I both know this is all you Ana, I am proud of you... of what GP has become under you. I may not always express it, but I am. I love you, and I'm going to miss you."

"I'll miss you too, Christian." I hoped my kiss would tell him how much, chaste as it was in front of the children.

"Eww, Mom!!! Do I have to see this!" Ted was never one to mince his words. "Are you guys about done? Dad, can we get the ice cream now?"

"Ted, c'mon, Mom's going to be gone the whole week, don't you want to say goodbye nicely?"

"Dad, it's a week, it's not like she's going to Timbuctoo, she's gonna call... you're gonna call right Mom?" He seemed suddenly a bit unsure of himself.

"Yes, of course I'll call you Teddybear!"

"Mooom, not that again!" Ted had outgrown his Teddybear phase, but maybe Christian and I hadn't, his exasperation at this lack of synchronisation was evident. Sometimes he really sounded like his father.

I kissed Ted and Phoebe and made my way up the stairs to the jet. On the last step, I had to stop for one look at my family. Blowing a final kiss to them, I stepped in to reclaim my place as the CEO of Grey Publishing.

"Good morning, Mrs Grey, I'm Rey and I'll be your flight attendant today," a sleek woman with blonde hair and a short skirt greeted me. She looked vaguely familiar and I couldn't help but notice the similarities in our figure. _She must be a twenty something though,_ I thought to myself, _thank you Claude Bastille!_

"Good morning, Rey, thanks, once we're in the air, I'd like an English Breakfast Tea, bag on the side please."

"Of course, Ma'am, we've been told of all your preferences, and I already have everything ready. Please strap in and the pilot will be taking off in a few minutes. Would you like me to make up the bedroom for you as well?"

"No thanks Rey, I'll be reading for some time now"

"Sure, Ma'am, the flying time will be about 11hours, and I'll be available at the press of this button"

"Thank you Rey," I dismissed her for the time being and settled in to read the latest manuscript Hannah had forwarded me. A new author, James Blunel, his writing was sentimental and a bit verbose, but his plot twists were thrilling. _Maybe we can get him a ghostwriter, or a better editor, someone with experience of writing action thrillers._

Rey set down a tray on my table, and I looked over to see that we were already in the air. I'd been so caught up in the reading that I hadn't even noticed the takeoff.

"Thank you Rey," I said as she put a plate of scones right next to my tea. Everything looked wonderful and I realised I was suddenly hungry. I put down the manuscript and took a sip of the tea. Perfect temperature, I made a mental note to tell Christian that Rey was a wonderful hostess. The tea was soothing and before I knew it I was sleepy. _I must have been more tired than I thought._

"Mrs Grey? Are you alright? Ana?" Taylor's voice seemed disconnected somehow, and then a shuffle of movement, a thud, someone falling. _Get up Grey, wake up, something's wrong,_ I willed myself to wake up, but I couldn't, everything just went dark. I wanted to scream out, to reach for my phone, for something, but it was pointless. Whatever drug they had given me, was effective. In my eyes, there was only black.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Christian took a bite of Phoebe's ice cream, strawberry wasn't his preferred flavor but she'd offered it to him so sweetly that he couldn't resist. She'd been chatty in the car, telling him all about her favorite butterflies in their garden. Ted on the other hand, had been unusually quiet during the drive to the parlor.

"Got something on your mind little man?" he asked gently.

"Not really, I was just thinking."

"Oh you were, were you, and do tell what you were thinking about?" Teddy's self assurance at the ripe old age of seven was a bit amusing, extremely disarming and not to mention horribly endearing.

"Oh, nothing in particular, just this, that and the other things... hey Dad,"

"Yeah, Teddy?"

"Do you think Mom... ummm.. no .. actually never mind" Ted seemed to shut down just as quickly as he started to open up. _Is that what I do with Ana, no wonder she calls me mercurial._

"Go on son, what did you want to say?" he coaxed the child, he was obviously missing his mother. Ana hadn't traveled for work since Ted and Phoebe were born.

"It's nothing really, I was just wondering, do you think Mom hates dogs?"

Now there was a thought that came out of nowhere, Christian was a bit taken aback but, tried to answer as honestly as possible.

"Well no, I don't think she hates dogs. In fact, I'm pretty sure she likes them Ted, why do you ask?" _And why today of all days? What is it you're up to little man?_

"Ok, that's good then." And just like that Ted was back to being his normal silly self, teasing Phoebe, and talking nineteen to the dozen about something that had absolutely nothing to do with anything. Just like every other seven year old. Christian watched both his kids as they went into their own little world without the least bit of consideration for poor ol' Dad nursing his semi broken heart. He smiled quietly to himself as he paid for the ice cream and started guiding them to the door to get the day started.

It was almost 4 hours since the jet had taken off, it would take close to 8 more hours to touch down at Vienna international airport. 12 long hours before he could hear from Ana, and that made him uncomfortable. That and the meeting with the Japanese that wasn't going as planned. The shipyard in the far east had been having trouble for the last few years, they never fully recovered from the impact of the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami. Though the damage to the area had been repaired, there were always residual problems that kept needing investment. It was better to be rid of it and to look for other potential locations, maybe China or India. But Christian was having a hard time closing the deal with the Japanese team at the price he wanted. The new guy heading the firm that had shown interest in the bidding, was hungry to prove himself. Akio Imai had proven to be a fierce adversary during the deal, but now that the negotiations were drawing to a close Christian was beginning to relax a bit. _Just one more point to negotiate on the workforce, if he doesn't agree to reskill and redeploy then we may have a problem._ It wasn't technically his problem, especially once the yard was sold, but Christian wanted to make sure that the people who he'd employed for close to ten years now weren't just thrown out on the street.

"Mr Grey, I've got Mr Imai on line 1 for you," Andrea's voice broke over the intercom.

"Thanks Andrea," he picked up the phone and pressed the button for line 1, "Imai-san, ohayou gozaimasu, did your office receive the paperwork for the contract?"

"Grey-san, yes we did. We must discuss the Point 4, workforce retention. This is too expensive for us. We plan to significantly reduce the size of the yard. For this, we must also reduce the size of the workforce. Point 4 is an obstacle to this. We must ask for its removal."

"I'm afraid we can't do that, Imai-san. I understand that there are costs involved with retention but it is important to weigh those against the costs of employing new workers for ship-building. Consider also, that post Tohoku these workers have had significant experience dealing with the repairs of the yard, their knowledge and experience of the yard itself cannot be valued in monetary terms. We must insist that for now Point 4 be retained in its entirety."

Silence on the other end, followed only by,

"Ah-so, arigato-gosaimas, Grey-san," and the click of a line going dead.

Christian placed the phone back in its cradle. It was frustrating to deal with Imai. The man had mastered control of his face, voice and body and gave nothing away. To add to this, he didn't seem intimidated by the Grey name. In the absence of visual and verbal cues, Christian couldn't assess whether they could be aggressive or not during the deal. Welch hadn't been able to dig up anything of use on Akio Imai either. For the first time in a long time Christian wasn't getting his way in a deal, and it was beginning to get to him. He needed Ana, to talk to her, bounce ideas off her, get her perspective on things. He'd come to depend on her for help in channelling his emotions and frustrations. _Seven hours and counting before I can hear from her._

His thoughts wandered back to the previous night. Knowing that they would be apart for a week had been its own aphrodisiac in a way. Once bedtime stories had been read he'd practically carried her to their bedroom.

 _Her hair was done the way he liked it, a simple French braid. Naked and on her knees by the bed, she looked as stunning today as she did the day she first fell into his office. He'd taken his time with her, he'd wanted to please her, just as she did him. He kneeled behind her and ran a single finger down her spine, starting at the base of her neck down the smooth curve all the way to the small of her back. He'd continued along his path slowly cupping her behind, running his palm over it._

 _"Bend over, Ana, put your hands on the floor"_

 _She'd stretched out on the floor, almost as if she was bowing, and he'd kissed every inch of her exposed back. He could feel the tremors of her anticipation, and her eagerness for him to just take her._

 _"I'm going to be painfully slow with you today, Ana, you're going to have to wait a long while for your release. Can you tell me why?"_

 _"Because you'll have to wait a week to see me, Sir"_

 _"Yes, Ana, good girl... now, Mrs Grey, put your wrists together..."_

The ringing of the phone broke Christian's reverie and he muttered obscenities under his breath at whoever it was.

"Mr. Grey, it's Eva Daniels, I'm the AICC coordinator at Sea-Tac, I'm sorry but I have some bad news. The jet registered to Grey Enterprises Holdings has missed its last 2 check-ins. I'm afraid... um ... I'm afraid it's missing sir."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

It was all a blur. Everything she said after the words, "I'm afraid it's missing." Christian gripped the receiver, all he could think of was Ana. Every fiber of his being wanted to scream. Scream out with every inch of him, with every single cell that existed in the shallow shell of his body. But all he heard was silence.

"Mr. Grey, are you there? Hello?"

"What... yes... yes, I'm here, my wife... she's on that plane... Ana... um... I ..."

"Yes Mr. Grey, we're aware of the flight manifest, it lists 2 passengers and 3 crew. We're still trying to get information on the aircraft and we will keep you posted but for now we need to declare the jet missing. Our estimation is that it's somewhere over the Hudson Bay, we've got a communication line open with the control centre in Churchill for now."

"I'm coming down there." It was like a light switch flipped on, Christian had to be at the command center, nothing could happen to Ana, not his girl, he wouldn't accept that.

"Mr. Grey, I'm sorry but no one is allowed in here, I need you to stay by the phone and we will keep you posted within the hour."

"NO! YOU DONT UNDERSTAND! MY **WIFE** IS ON THAT FLIGHT!" An unexplained rage seared through Christian, he was clutching his hair. _This isn't possible, no, not Ana, please... not Ana, I can't lose her... the kids, oh god! The kids!!_

The sudden thoughts of Teddy and Phoebe broke him down,

"Please... I need to be there, I need to see her safe...I have to know she's ok... my kids ..."

Miss Daniels tried to be reassuring, "Mr. Grey, I understand, but there's really nothing you can do from here. The team has the best people in the industry working on this. The best thing for your kids right now is for you to be with them. Please Mr. Grey, let us do our jobs. I'll be in touch with you every hour and your assistant has my direct number if you need to reach me."

"Mr. Grey... Christian... I'm so sorry... is there anything I can do?"

Still holding the disconnected phone, Christian looked up from his desk, and saw a teary eyed Andrea looking back at him. She had never used his first name before. _She knows I could lose Ana... oh God! Ana! ... I could lose Ana._

He shook his head to dismiss her and tried unsuccessfully to keep his calm. He reached for the phone, there was only one person who could talk him down from his desperation. He hit the speed dial on his blackberry.

"Hello darling, is everything ok?"

"Mom..."

"Christian? What is it darling, what's happened? Are the kids ok?"

"Mom... Ana..."

"Christian, where are you?"

"Office"

"I'm coming to get you, I'll be there in 15 minutes"

One quarter of an hour later, Grace Trevelyan-Grey, walked into the office of the CEO of Grey Enterprises Holdings. In one corner of the room, clutching a small photograph, was the little boy she had taken into her arms and her heart many years ago. Barely a second passed for her to cross the lengths of the room and take him into her arms again.

"Andrea told me what happened, you have to believe she'll be fine, they'll all be fine, it's alright"

She tried to soothe him with her words, but how do you soothe someone who truly believes his world has ended.

"It's all my fault Mom... I made her take the jet... I never should have let her go... oh god Mom, they won't let me go there... what do I do ..."

"You wait Christian, you wait for the people who are doing their jobs to do them and you wait for her. Listen to me, Ana is strong and resourceful, I'm sure that she's fine and she'll come back to you, I know it. Taylor was with her right? He wouldn't let anything happen to her. Now... you need to get up and get the kids. They're going to be very confused if the story breaks in the media before you tell them."

 _Oh God, Taylor... I have to call Gail..._

"Mom... I need to get home."

A soft knock came on the door just as Christian began to stand up. The door opened slightly to reveal Andrea and Ros.

"Christian," Ros started, "I just heard, do you know anything yet?"

The phone began to ring again. A sense of dread enveloped him as he reached for the handset.

"Mr. Grey, this is Eva Daniels again. I've got some bad news unfortunately... We now have confirmation that the aircraft went down just over the Hudson Bay, no reports of any survivors yet, but we've got Search and Rescue out there..." There was a pause on the line as Eva searched for the right words... "I'm really sorry... if it helps... reports from the ground are that the fuselage looks intact, there's a chance there may still be survivors..."

He placed the phone back in the cradle without waiting to hear the rest, his worst fears had been confirmed. The fear of losing Ana had been his worst enemy for all the years he'd known her. She was the light of his life, his saviour. He hadn't been the knight in shining armour sweeping the damsel in distress off her feet. No, she'd done that for him, saved him from himself, from his own self destructiveness. And he'd failed her... failed at the one thing he was supposed to do. Failed to protect her.

"Christian, what did they say?" Grace held his hand.

"The jet went down in the Hudson Bay. They don't ... they don't know of any survivors ..."

His blackberry wouldn't stop ringing...

Grace took it from the table, and answered, this was one of the worst calls in her life.

"Oh Gail... I'm so sorry dear."

On the other end of the line, Gail Taylor burst into tears as she saw the news of her husband's death flash across the TV screen.


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note:** Edited for corrections in spelling and a tiny change in the Sergeant's location for consistency.

 **Chapter 5**

The weather in Seattle seemed to echo the desolation in Christian's soul. The Search and Rescue teams had been looking for any trace of survivors in the past two days, with no success. They had confirmed that the aircraft had ditched in the Hudson Bay, and that the doors had been opened, presumably to exit the passengers, but of them, they found no trace. They did, however find the body of Captain Stephen in the wrecked aircraft. Still at the helm, crouched over the controls. The aircraft recorder, the little black box, that could tell them what led to the crash could not be found.

Christian had gone home that evening a broken man, he had tried to be the strength for Teddy and Phoebe, but in the end the three of them had just curled up on the master bed and he had cried. Phoebe, just five, had no comprehension of death and she had just put her tiny hands on her father and brother's cheeks to comfort their tears. She couldn't understand why they didn't just ask Mommy to come back.

Gail had sat with the children and Sophie, stony faced and silent. She had never been one to express her grief in public, but Christian had seen her slip into the deserted hallway more than once, when no one was looking. She cried silently, but her grief, like Christian's, was evident. He could barely face her, he blamed himself for Taylor being on the aircraft.

Sawyer, the acting security head in Taylor's place, went about his job quietly. It was only Ana's insistence that had him on the ground that day and not in the air with his colleague and friend. He couldn't help but wonder whether him being there could have helped, maybe gotten them out in time, maybe he could've spotted what went wrong, maybe ... just maybe.

A pall of gloom had descended on the house. No one spoke, they barely ate. It was like every piece of goodness and light had been pulled out of their lives. Christian felt as if he was four years old again, back on the floor lying next to a cold body. He walked into Ana's closet, to take in the smell of her lingering on her clothes. Her makeup was still lying on the dresser, she'd forgotten to pack her favorite lipstick that day. If not for Teddy and Phoebe, Christian would have stopped functioning. But he knew that he couldn't do that. He couldn't let Ana down that way. Not again. He had to go on and make sure the kids survived this. He didn't want to taint their childhood with grief, Ana would never forgive him if he let that happen. _And I'll never forgive myself for not taking care of you, not protecting you... why didn't you just wait for me, why Ana!_

He stared at the photograph of her in his study, he'd always loved that photo, Jose had captured her beautifully, everything, right down to the look in her eyes... _those beautiful blue eyes... oh Ana... what will I do without you... why couldn't it have been me instead... I need you, Teddy needs you, Phoebe... what am I going to say to her? Who's going to teach her how to be a woman... Ana..._

"Mr. Grey?" Gail's soft voice behind him startled Christian.

"There's a call for you from a Sergeant, he says it's urgent. I... um .. I wouldn't have bothered you, but he was very insistent on speaking only to you."

Christian sighed and looked at her, "that's fine Gail, I'll take the call in here..." he paused for a second to take in her haggard appearance.

"You should take some time off Gail... everything is already taken care of for the... the... the event"

"Thank you sir, it's fine. I think ... I think I'd rather be around the children if you don't mind. He... He would've wanted that."

"Thank you... for everything..."

She turned and left abruptly... it was inappropriate for her to show emotion with her employer though Christian would have understood if she had.

He picked up the phone from its cradle,

"Grey"

"Hello, Mr. Grey, is this Mr. Christian Grey?"

"Yes, this is him." Christian was getting annoyed.

"Mr. Grey, I'm calling on behalf of the D Division of the RCMP"

"RCMP?"

"Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Sir. You may also know us as the Gendarmerie royale du Canada"

"Canadian police? I'm not sure why you're..." It came to him out of the blue. "You've found her, haven't you?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Yes, we have..." the Sergeant continued on, but his words barely touched Christian, _Yes, we have..._ it was the final nail in his coffin. They had found her, and now it was all over, she would never come back to him again, "...some internal injuries...", _oh baby, why couldn't it have been me instead,_ "...facial reconstruction...", _it should have been me on that flight,_ "...some head trauma...", _her eyes, he would never see those eyes again..._ "...conscious now...", _oh Ana, why wouldn't you just...wait, what..._

"Wait, what?" _What did he say?_ "You're saying she's ... is she ...", Christian was afraid to even utter the word, the answer could crush him completely. "...Alive?", he whispered into the phone.

"Well... Yes, that's what I've been saying, haven't you been listening?"


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Ana adjusted her eyes to the darkness of the room, it was freezing. She shivered a bit and hugged herself to get warmer. She had no idea how long it had been since the voice, that horrible disconnected static voice. Christian would be looking for her. She knew he would be. She tried to pull her knees to her chest, but the restraint on her left ankle didn't allow for much movement. Using the wall as a support she stood up. It was hard to keep weight off her injured foot. _Ok Grey, time to figure out what happened._ She replayed the events in her head as she remembered them, taking off from Seattle, the plane, the new flight attendant, Rey. Natalie had been on maternity leave for the last two months and Rey had been sent over by an agency. Her background checks had come clean, _but then, how did I get here? And why am I here?_

Still using the walls as support, she made her way around the room, trying to get a sense of her field of motion. She couldn't quite reach the door of the room, _not that it would help if I could, what am I going to do, pick the lock?_

Lost in her thoughts she barely registered the unconscious form lying in the corner of the room, until it was too late. She fell on it, and elicited a small groan of pain.

"Taylor!" Ana was ecstatic to find her bodyguard and friend alive... for the most part.

His voice was weak, "Mrs. Grey... Ana... are you ok?"

She could've hugged the man, he sounded like he was in excruciating pain, but still the first thought was for her. Overwhelmed by emotion, by fear, pain and exhaustion, Ana burst into tears.

"I'm ok..." she said between sobs, "Jason... are you... are you hurt badly?"

In the darkness she could hear rather than see his weak smile, "I'll do, Ana... you ok? Still in one piece?" His concern was touching, and his voice soothing. _Pull yourself together Grey!_

"I'm fine, a few sprains here and there. Nothing else. Do you know what happened?"

"All I remember, is you fainting on the plane, I thought at the time... maybe it was like the other day... at Starbucks... Luke had told me about that", _ah yes, the famous Starbucks incident of 2018._ It seemed so far away now, almost as if it was another life.

"Yes, I thought I was tired but I figure there was something in the tea."

"Probably... I got out of my seat to make sure you didn't hurt yourself and then I think someone got me in the head from the back. Felt like the butt of a pistol. They must've drugged me after, because I can't remember much else... I think I remember a boat... or at least the sound of a motor, but I don't know... I woke up once yesterday, and tried to jump the guy who came in to check on us... Didn't quite work obviously. I may have broken my leg and a couple of ribs in the process though... they made sure I was restrained pretty good after that."

"Yesterday? Jason... how long have we been here? How long have I been asleep?"

"Best I can guess... about 26 hours...I think they've been keeping you drugged though. The guy I jumped was trying to inject you. I guess I must've been more out of sorts than I thought though... the asshole got the better of me... I... I'm sorry, Ana"

"Jason, it's not your fault... if anything I should be apologising to you... its my fault we're in this mess... If I hadn't insisted on Vienna... if I'd just waited... just listened to... to...", the thought of Christian made Ana lose control, she couldn't hold back any longer. The thought of never seeing him or their children again... it was crippling... she tightened her arms around herself, and fell to her knees crying.

"Ana... please... you have to be strong...", Taylor could barely speak, he clutched his broken rib with one arm and tried to prop himself up on the other. Through clenched teeth he tried to calm Ana down, "we're going to get out of here, you're going to see him again... I promise... Look... look at me...", Taylor's voice took on a hard edge, "This... all of this... it's not your fault... it's not mine either... everyone on that aircraft had passed at least 3 levels of background checks ... whoever's behind his has some deep connections... there's no way they can wrangle this otherwise"

"You're right," she said through stifled sobs, "they said... they said no-one would be looking for me... that Christian didn't need me anymore...". Ana's fears were slowly taking control of her mind.

Taylor snorted. "And you believed them? ... What in your history with Christian Grey would make you think that was even remotely possible?... Ana... that man would fight Satan himself for you... and he'd win too!"

A small smirk escaped Ana at the thought of Christian fighting off a fiery devil for her, and then a sliver of doubt let itself into her lifted spirits. "But what if he thinks we're dead? What if they told him we're dead?"

"I've been thinking about that, I don't think they would tell him we're dead... what would be the point? It would break Christian, but other than that there would be nothing to gain from it. If they tell him you're alive then they at least have the option of ransom... Have they asked you to record a message of some sort?"

"No, they haven't... they haven't even told me who they are. All I know is that they seem convinced that Christian doesn't need me anymore."

"Hmm, that means they probably haven't made first contact yet. Without proof of life, a ransom call is pointless. Besides, given our cozy accommodations and the manner in which we 'checked in', I don't think this is the first time they're doing this."

There was a sound of flap and a metallic clang, followed by a one word instruction, "Eat".

Taylor and Ana both looked at the plate of bread that had appeared in front of them. Neither of them had eaten since the flight. She reached for a piece of the bread and broke off a small piece. "Here, you better eat, you need to keep your strength up too if we're going to get out of here"

Taylor shook his head, "No, Ana", he said softly, " _We're_ not going to get out of here... You are... I'm too much of a liability now, I can barely move, let alone walk. To get away from these guys we need to run... so no, it's not going to be we, its going to be you."

Ana felt a surge of fury creeping up from inside her. Fury at the world. At the strange people who had brought her here. At what they were putting Christian through. At what they were putting her kids through. No, after all that, Taylor too. No absolutely not. She was not having any of that.

"Jason Taylor, if you think for one second that I'm going to leave you here, and go running off into some godforsaken place, you're horribly mistaken."

"Ana... Please... you don't understand. Our chances are better if you do. You can get help, show them where we are."

"They'll fucking kill you the minute that happens!" Ana practically screamed in his face, "I'm not leaving you here. _We'll_ find a way."

"Ana, be reasonable!"

"Taylor, there's no way I survive on my own out there... wherever _there_ is."

Taylor sighed, long and hard. A sigh of frustration and helplessness. A sigh of prayer to keep them safe. A sigh of relief... because Ana was right. They would kill him. And they could still. He was not the key player in this theatrical. No, he was the minor character with one line in the play. He was... dispensible.

"Alright, fine.. In that case... you heard the man... Eat"


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note:** Hi all, thank you so much for all your encouragement. This is my first fan fic, so the story may take a few literary liberties, I do hope you all understand. One small note, there is a short story in this chapter that is sourced from a different website and I am rephrasing a lot of it for length. The story isn't credited on the original site, but I'm leaving a link to it here for you all in case you want to read it, its really quite beautiful and spoke to me on many levels. It's on americanliterature-com , for some reason I can't post the complete link here but its under - /author/anonymous/short-story/how-the-moon-became-beautiful

Thanks all... Also I know I'm delayed doing this, but obviously I don't own any of the original characters. Credit to E.L. James for the FSoG trilogy, which I am just extrapolating from.

 **Chapter 7**

 _"Mama, I'm scared...", four year old Teddy held the hug tightly. He'd been this way the whole ride back._

 _"What's wrong Teddybear, tell me, I'm here."_

 _He whispered into her ear, "there's someone following me."_

 _A panic surged through Ana, she tried to keep her voice calm, "Teddy, what do you mean someone's following you hon? What do they look like?"_

 _"It's the Man in the Moon, Mama! I was watching him and he didn't stop... he was following me Mama!"_

 _Relief washed over her and she laughed._

 _"Mama! You don't believe me!", Teddy was offended by the dismissal._

 _"Oh darling, that's not it! I promise...",_

 _"Zack told me that the Man in the Moon eats children!"_

 _Ana rolled her eyes, "Listen... here... come sit with me, let me tell you a story about the moon"_

 _Teddy crawled up from where she had tucked him in, and cuddled into his mother's arms._

 _"You see how bright the Moon is now? Well, it wasn't always like that... a long long time ago, the Moon was dark and gloomy... no one wanted to look at it, and that made him sad... He told the flowers and the stars of his sadness, of how he wished he could be a flower or a star like them, so that people would look at him and love him. The stars... well the stars didn't know how to help him, they had always been up high in the sky, making the sky beautiful, no one helped them... But the flowers... now the flowers lived in a beautiful garden that the world's most beautiful girl,_ _Tseh-N'io_ _would visit every day. So they told the Moon all about her. The Moon was still sad, so one day he visited Tsei-Ho... and when he saw her... well... the minute he saw her he fell in love with her... hopelessly in love... so he told her... he said, 'You are very beautiful and perfect, I wish you would come with me and be mine. I know even the worst people in the world would have only to look at you and they would love you... Come with me and we will be one - we will be perfect.. together.' And then he asked her, 'Tell me.. how is it that you are so beautiful'... Do you want to know what she said to that?"_

 _A tiny sleepy voice asked the question, "what?"_

 _"She said, 'I have always lived with those who were gentle and happy, I think that is the cause of my beauty and goodness'. The Moon was so taken by her, that he came to visit her every night... Every night he knocked on her window, and every night she came to him. His love grew stronger and stronger and he wished more and more to be with her always... One day,_ _Tseh-N'io asked her mother if she could go and be the Moon forever. But her mother thought so little of the question that she completely ignored it... Tseh-N'io told her friends that she was going to be the Moon's bride, and in a few days she was gone... Her mother looked for her high and low, but couldn't find her. And then one of her friends told her mother that Tseh-N'io had gone to be with the Moon, because he loved her so much and she had grown to love him too."_

 _"Was her mother very sad for Tseh-N'io, Mama?",_

 _"I'm sure she was Teddybear. But t_ _hey say, that the face of the Moon is very beautiful now... It's happy and bright and gives a gentle light to those who would be lost in darkness otherwise. Many say that the Moon is now like Tseh-N'io, who was once the fairest of all earth's maidens_ _"_

 _"He was just sad because he was lonely, Mama"_

 _"Yes, Teddybear, I think so too"_

 _"Mama...",_

 _"Yes Teddy...",_

 _"Tseh-N'io sounds just like you"_

 _Ana smiled. Sometimes children can make your heart swell up so much that you feel like it would burst if you had to go on breathing one second longer. She wanted to pick up the sleeping child and hold him forever, but she settled for stroking his soft copper curls as she stood up to leave. Christian had been leaning against the door frame. He came up to her and pulled her into his arms._

 _"I never heard that story", he said quietly._

 _"I think its an old Japanese legend, I heard it a long time ago but it just sort of stuck with me."_

 _"I see", he whispered into her hair, "I agree with Teddy... "_

 _She pulled away from his hug just enough to look into his eyes, "What about?"_

 _He cupped her cheek with one hand and tightened his grip on her waist with the other, "You are my Tseh-N'io... you are what makes me happy and bright. I am dark and gloomy without you, my love... I wanted you to know ... just in case I hadn't told you today"_

In a dark and gloomy cabin, somewhere on the other side of the continent, Ana looked at the tiny ray of moonbeam that had made it through to their prison. She prayed silently, a prayer for protection of her children, a prayer for strength to get through this and a prayer that Christian would find her. She let her thoughts be of Christian, of his face, and the way his arms would hold her tight, of his eyes and the depth of feeling in them, of her love for her Moon and his for his Tseh-N'io. She focused her thoughts on him, as if to bring him to life right in front of her... _Find me, Christian... I need you... Come find me please._


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

The car had barely come to a stop when Christian jumped out of it. The long journey from Seattle to Churchill Health Center had been the most agonizing wait in his life. He raced through the hospital doors, and barked at the woman manning the reception desk.

"I'm Christian Grey, I'm here for my wife, Anastasia Grey."

A pretty young woman, perhaps of Indian origin, took in his disheveled appearance. She seemed sympathetic.

"Of course, sir. Please have a seat and I'll just get back to you in a minute." It was kind enough as a response, and she seemed nice, but today was not a day when Christian would tolerate even the appearance of a delay. He leaned over the counter, cold steel in his voice.

"I don't think you heard me. I'm. Here. For. My. Wife. She's in here somewhere and I'd like to know where. Anastasia Grey. I suggest you look at your records. Right. Now."

She blanched, "Y-Yes, of course... Room 15 sir... J-Just down the hall to your left... I'm paging the doctor now."

Without another word he turned and headed in the direction of the room. The door was ajar, he took a breath and pushed it open.

She was lying on the bed, eyes closed. There were bandages around her nose and chin, but he could see her face. It was true. She was alive. He let out a breath he hadn't known he was holding. He wanted to move closer, but didn't, for fear that this was a dream. Touching her could break it, and he could wake up. For if it was a dream, then so be it. He would gladly spend the rest of his life just looking at her, and never touching her, if it meant that she would be alive.

The creak of the door distracted him. A grey haired man in a doctor's coat, ushered him outside the room and Christian followed him into the corridor.

"Mr. Grey?", the doctor asked softly.

"Yes," Christian whispered, it was as if he was under a spell, and a single sound could bring it all crashing down.

The doctor nodded, he had a pleasant face, one of those faces where when you look at them, you feel like they could take care of you.

"I'm Doctor Graham. I'm assigned to your wife's case, can we talk in my office?"

"I'd like to stay close to her."

"Of course, I understand. Well, just to give you the background, two days ago, a Sergeant from the RCMP came across a woman. She was injured and bleeding from her head and nose, so they brought her here. We treated her for mild hypothermia and head trauma. There was significant damage to her nasal area, so we had to do a reconstruction procedure to fix the nasal cavity. She was a bit delirious when she first arrived, so we thought she may have had a concussion as well, but she showed no signs afterwards. There also seems to be a bit of bruising on her ribs and her ankle and a few internal blood clots. The good news is that she will recover fully."

For the first time in his life, Christian was at a loss for words. He didn't know how to thank this man, this angel who had delivered his love from hell itself. The doctor took his silence as a sign to go on.

"The reconstruction will take a few weeks to heal but physically she will be fine. I'd like to keep her here a few more days, for observation and postop care."

"T-Thank you Doctor Graham. I don't know how to... ", Christian felt his control slipping and squared his shoulders to regain his balance.

"No thanks necessary, Mr. Grey, there is one other thing I'd like you to keep in mind though. Sometimes in cases such as these, the psychological trauma is significant. As I understand, Mrs. Grey has just been through an aircraft crash that may well have killed everyone else on board. There could be a manifestation of PTSD, or she may exhibit some behavioral changes in the coming weeks. I would advise to seek out some psychological counselling for her, even if there doesn't seem to be an apparent need for it. We've also got a great in house psychologist who can come in to talk to her."

"Yes, of course. Thank you Doctor... Will she be asleep much longer?"

Doctor Graham looked at his watch. "I don't think so, we gave her a mild sedative last night to help her sleep, but I think she should be waking up any minute now. It's perfectly fine to wake her."

Christian took his leave of the doctor. He was slightly reassured by his calm demeanor, but Ana would have to be looked over again once they got to Seattle. She turned her head to face him as he walked into the room.

"Ana", he could barely speak when he saw those blue eyes looking back at him.

She reached out her hand to him. The three seconds that it took for his mortal legs to carry him to her may as well have been the longest three seconds in creation. Her hand felt warm in his. She squeezed his fingers lightly, and all he could do was bring her hand to his lips and cry.

A small cough in the doorway made Christian look up. Doctor Graham entered the room with a nurse.

"How are you doing today, Mrs. Grey?"

"Fine", her voice was weak and hoarse. Christian was troubled by the effort it seemed to take Ana to speak.

"That's good. No pain I hope?"

She shook her head slowly.

"Are you having trouble speaking?", Christian asked her. She lowered her eyes on response.

"Hmm... well nothing showed up on the scans, it could just be a dry throat, I suggest some tepid water to be sipped. I'm afraid our resident ENT specialist is not available today and tomorrow. I'll ask the hospital to slot you in for Thursday though."

"When can Ana come home? To Seattle?"

"I'm afraid any travel will have to wait for a week or so. Given the reconstructive surgery we had to do, she is not allowed to fly for the next one week and it's advisable to wait an additional week after that. The high pressure in the aircraft can sometimes cause ruptures in the tissues, which is why we suggest taking a hotel nearby rather than travelling. However, given Ana's age and the fact that she is in relatively good health, I think we can re-assess in a week. In the meantime, why don't you ask some of your family members to join you here? Having close family around works wonders for recovery in patients."

With a last smile to Ana and a nod to Christian, the doctor left the room to check on his next patient.

Christian pulled a chair from the corner and sat next to Ana's bed. He had not let go of her fingers. He laid light kisses on each of them and just held her palm to his cheek. He just wanted to be sure this wasn't a dream.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

"Jason...", Ana felt a rising panic in her gut. Taylor had been unconscious for the last few hours. His injuries were severe and he needed medical attention. He had tried unsuccessfully to stand up earlier. While his leg wasn't fully broken, he seemed unable to keep any weight on it. Ana was worried. With no watch and minimal light in the cabin, it was next to impossible to assess how much time had passed, since they had been taken. All they could do was count the number of times their captors instructed them to eat. They had had maybe six meals mostly of bread and water since they woke up. Taylor and Ana were both getting progressively weaker.

Ana got up and tried to shake Taylor awake. Nothing seemed to be working. She reached for the bottle of water and splashed some on his face. The cold water seemed to have some effect.

"Oh, thank god!", she breathed a sigh of relief when he finally opened his eyes.

"What...", his voice was getting weaker.

"You fainted, you've got to stay awake... I can't... I can't do this without you Jason... please..."

"Ana... If I ... If I don't make it, you gotta get out of here... These guys... I don't know why they're still keeping us alive..."

"Stop it! Stop... That's it... I can't take it anymore...", Ana let her fury take over and banged her fist on the wooden wall of the cabin. Pushing herself against the door, she screamed out, and kept screaming for someone.

"HEY! HEY ASSHOLES... OPEN THE FUCKING DOOR YOU PIECES OF SHIT... CAN YOU HEAR ME... ASSHOLES!"

A sudden jerk of the door pushed Ana to the ground and a stocky menacing man with a number of tattoos appeared. He advanced on Ana as if to hit her and then stopped suddenly, when a thin wiry man appeared behind him. _Looks like Stringbean's the one in charge. Tattoohead's the muscle._

"My friend needs a doctor", she addressed the thin man. He seemed quite calm, and took in her statement with a smile.

"Of course, he does. Whether he gets one is up to us."

"Well, probably not... You see, I realized something as I sat there in the dark for last however many days it's been... You need me... I don't know why or how yet. But you do need me... Why keep me alive otherwise...", Ana was taking a big gamble on this.

"Ana... shut up... what are you doing...", Jason's weak voice sounded behind her. Ana ignored him and went on addressing the thin man.

"Well... here's the deal... you get my friend a doctor and I'll co-operate with you... whatever you want... you don't... and I'll just let myself die... shouldn't be too hard in here..."

 _No response._

The man seemed impervious to her proclamations. "What makes you think we won't kill you both anyway?", he said softly. Tattoohead moved towards her. He had a sadistic smile on his face.

Ana steadied herself, she couldn't let her panic get the better of her.

"If you wanted to, you would have already."

Stringbean seemed to assess her threat, there was nothing Ana had left to bargain with. But she could not let Taylor die. She would not.

"Astute", is all Stringbean said as he left the room. Tattoohead trailed behind him, locking the door again as he left.

It took about thirty minutes, but it seemed to have worked. A masked man, perhaps a doctor, entered the room and plastered Taylor's leg. He put a bandage around his ribs, gave him a hydration solution and painkillers to ease the pain. It was basic, but something was better than nothing.

"That was very stupid, Ana...", Taylor started, "but very brave... Thank you."

"Jason, you've saved me and my family from more things than I can count... there is no way I was going to let you die... Besides, Gail would kill me if I did", Ana joked.

"That's the only thing that's keeping me going too", he said softly, "Gail and Sophie."

"I know..."

"You were right by the way..."

"About what?"

"They do need you... But it's not for ransom...", Taylor turned to face her. He'd suspected this when they'd made no attempt to provide proof of life.

"Did you figure out why", she asked.

"Not fully... but I've been thinking... It's been somewhere between four to six days that we've been here... If they wanted Mr. Grey to think you were dead, then why not just kill us and give him proof... If not, then they don't want him to think you're dead... They must know that Christian would never stop looking for you, which means that they either need to provide him proof of life, and ask for a ransom, or..."

"Or what?"

"Or... they've gotten someone to take your place."

"Take my place? What do you mean?" Ana was confused. How could someone take her place? Christian loved her and only her. "No, Christian loves me, he's not going to just replace me. In what... four days you said? That's silly.. he would never do that!"

"No, Ana, you misunderstand. I'm talking about someone posing as you..."

"Don't be silly! Christian would see right through that!" Ana wanted to laugh at the thought of Christian coming across her lookalike. _He would know the minute he saw her. There's no way he doesn't figure it out._

"Would he?... Think about it Ana... The only way we could've got to wherever we are, is if the jet was hijacked by the people behind this. Which means the jet never made it to Vienna... Which means Christian probably thought you were dead... at least for a while... It wouldn't be hard to insert someone impersonating you into his life at that point... he would want it so badly, he might just ignore the signs. It could explain why they need you alive."

"How?"

"If someone is impersonating you, there may still be information they need from you, to make sure Christian doesn't catch on. It could also be insurance... in case she does get made... it could be why they haven't hurt you either. They may want to use you as a bargaining chip if needed."

Ana felt the need to throw up. _A stranger in my house... around my children... With Christian?_

Taylor's logic seemed to make sense, but would Christian really fall for this? Surely he wouldn't, he was smarter than that. He would see through her, of course he would see through her. _But would he? In his desperation? If he thought I was dead? Would he really? Oh Christian, no... don't fall for it... please, my love ... come and find me!_


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Christian looked out of the window into the clear sky of Churchill, Manitoba. Ana had been in the hospital for a week now, and while physically she had healed, she felt distant somehow. Christian shrugged off the feeling. He knew that the crash and the loss of Taylor had played a heavy toll on her. _She's just a bit low, she'll be fine once she gets back home._ He wasn't sure whether he was trying to convince Ana or himself.

The psychologists sessions had seemed to help. He'd asked Flynn to fly in as well, but Ana had refused. She didn't want to cause more trouble. They'd argued a bit, but he'd given in at her insistence. From what she described, it seemed as if both the engines had failed. _Maybe a bird hit followed by catastrophic failure... maybe not._ His face darkened at the thought. Captain Stephen had tried his best, but when he realized the jet couldn't stay airborne any longer he'd had to ditch the aircraft in the bay. They'd heard him calling Mayday, but she hadn't been sure if the communications were working. In the impact of the crash landing she had hit her head on the table and broken her nose. Jason had wounded his leg. Through the pain and blood he'd helped her get out of the fuselage. They'd had their life jackets on and she had held his hand in the beginning, but the currents in the bay had been strong and they'd been separated. She hadn't been able to find him after a while. _He probably bled out in the water..._ He looked up as if to peer straight into the heavens... _Thank you for saving her Jason._ Christian held back his tears at the thought of his bodyguard and friend. _You didn't deserve this. None of us did._

The buzzing of his BlackBerry brought Christian's attention into the present. Ana was asleep. He stepped out silently when he saw the name on the screen.

"Welch, what have you found?"

"Not as much as I'd like to Mr. Grey. With Mrs. Grey's statement, Search and Rescue called off the operation in the Hudson Bay. They don't want to spend the resources unless they're sure they can find the bodies. They haven't yet been able to locate the black box either, and since Mrs. Grey was found on land and not in the water, there's no way for them to know if they're looking in the right direction."

"What do you mean? What does Ana's location have to do with it?"

"The black box in an aircraft gives off a beacon that can help locate it in the event of a crash or a water landing. However, the team needs to be within 15 miles of the beacon in order to pick it up. Given that the crash was in the water, its hard for Search and Rescue to pinpoint exactly where the aircraft crashed. If Mrs. Grey had been rescued in the water, maybe they could've found the black box."

"But they found debris right?"

"Yes, but there was no beacon in range. It is possible that it was carried away in the currents, due to which they haven't been able to find it. There is another possibility but it does seem a bit far-fetched."

"Sabotage?"

"Yes. Of course I have no evidence to prove that there was sabotage yet. I'd be glad if that wasn't the case as well. But I don't know Mr. Grey, in all my years in security, I've never seen a jet go down so fast just on a bird hit. Something doesn't feel right."

"I agree. I don't think this was an accident either. Keep digging, keep me posted if you find anything. I want to find the son of a bitch whose behind this. Quietly and before the authorities figure out... This guy killed Taylor."

"Yes sir."

Christian had just hung up the phone, when it started ringing again. Andrea this time.

"Hi Andrea, what's going on?"

"Good morning Mr. Grey, I'm sorry to bother you, but Mr. Imai insisted that he needed to talk to you. Ms. Bailey and I did mention that you had a personal emergency and you weren't available, but he refuses to engage with us. We've been putting him off for the last week, but now he's threatening to pull out of the deal."

Christian sighed. GEH couldn't afford to lose this deal. "It's okay Andrea, I'll give him a call. Is there anything else?"

"No sir... except..."

"Except what?", _whoa that came out rud_ e _, Grey... Ana would never approve._

"Sorry sir... I ... I just wanted to know if Ana was doing better."

"She's better today, Andrea, thank you for asking", Christian tried hard to keep the edge out of his voice. It wasn't Andrea's fault. He needed to remember that. It had been a hard week for Christian. He desperately wanted to get in the bed with Ana, he needed to reassure himself she was real... to feel her close... but every time he tried to get closer she'd flinched in pain. The scans had shown that her ribs and ankle had almost healed, but she still seemed to be in pain. _I've got to talk to Doc Graham about that. Once we get to Seattle I can get Mom to get her checked out again._

He was sure that Ana would be much better once they were back in Seattle, back with the kids and their family. Ray and Carla had wanted to travel to Churchill but she had refused to let them come as well. Ray had been insistent, but Ana could be stubborn too. Christian had tried to convince her, on behalf of Ray, but in the end she had won. He smiled at himself when he realized how easily he'd been giving in to her since he found her. He peeked through the door to check if Ana was still asleep, her eyes were closed. _Good,_ Christian thought, _at least she's getting some rest._

He scrolled through the contact list on his phone and selected the number for Mr. Imai. He really didn't want to do this now, but GEH needed this deal. They couldn't keep bleeding money on this shipyard. Akio Imai picked up on the third ring.

"Grey-san, I have been waiting for you to call me. My company does not appreciate being made to wait."

"Imai-san, I'm sorry about that. My associate, Ros Bailey, must have mentioned that I had a personal emergency. My wife has just survived a plane crash and she has been in the hospital recuperating. I have taken a few personal days. Ros is more than capable of helping you out on this deal. She is well versed with the contract and I trust her judgement."

"I am sorry to hear about your wife, Grey-san", his voice was devoid of emotion as ever, "however, it is not possible for us to complete this deal with a woman. My company is believes strongly in Japanese traditions, a woman's place is in the home with her children. Not in the board room. We will wait for one more week, for your emergency to be resolved. We will speak after that. Arigato-gosaimasu, Grey-san." The line went dead before Christian could respond.

With everything going on, he needed a release of some sort.

He needed his Ana.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

It felt like an eternity. In truth, it must have been a week. Ana could feel herself wasting away slowly. The only thing that kept her going was knowing that Christian could be in trouble. If they _had_ replaced her with an imposter, which at this point seemed the only explanation, then Christian, Teddy, Phoebe and everyone she loved was in danger.

A few days before she got on the jet, Ana had allowed herself an uncharacteristic twinge of vanity. She'd looked at her body in the bedroom mirror, she was going to be thirty five in a few years, she'd had two children, she'd been running Grey Publishing, albeit a bit in the backseat, letting Hannah do the heavy lifting, but she was still the CEO. _Not bad, Grey, not bad at all._ Christian walked in just as she started getting dressed.

 _"Don't change on my account," Christian said with a mischevious smirk._

 _"I wasn't planning to..." Two could play at this game._

 _He covered the distance between them in three quick strides. Never breaking eye contact... he ran one finger down her neck, caressing her skin... Ana leaned into him, her body was urging him..._

 _"Eager as always, Mrs. Grey..."_

 _Ana bit her lip..._

 _"What have I told you about that lip Mrs. Grey...", he placed soft kisses on the offending object, in between whispered words, "that delicious... delectable... tender... tantalising... lip."_

 _Christian's fingers continued their path down Ana's body. Her breath hitched as they found their way to her navel... further down, barely touching but still igniting every nerve in her body. All her synapses were firing at once... Christian... he could do this to her... he was the only one. His fingers left comet trails of desire in their wake, as they found their way further and further down Ana's body... her body was his playground... Ana leaned closer in to him, she could barely speak through the intense desire his fingers were drawing out from her... she wanted to feel his skin, she **needed** to have him inside her... she wanted him ... all of him..._

 _"Too many clothes...", she murmured in his ear._

 _Christian laughed as he pulled her close and whispered, "Why Mrs. Grey, I do believe you're naked!"_

 _He held her at arms length for the briefest of seconds while he took off his pajamas with a swift move. The years had been generous to Christian, he was as glorious in his late thirties as he had been when they'd met. Ana stepped back to admire his nakedness, she loved seeing his body, loved every scar, every story, every inch of him. They embraced each other and Ana enveloped Christian with herself, she took all of him and he gave it willingly... he surrendered without question to his goddess, his... Ana._

The door to the cabin opened with a sudden jerk and Stringbean walked in with Tattoohead. _They need something,_ Ana thought to herself.

"Up"

It was an order with no question as to compliance. Ana rose slowly with the help of the wall. Tattoohead grabbed her arms and put them in handcuffs. He removed the restraint on her left foot and pulled her forward.

"Where are you taking her?", Jason had managed to stand up with the wall as support. It was obvious he couldn't stay standing much longer.

"Jason, it's fine... I'll be fine"

Stringbean turned to Taylor, "Listen to your friend", he said menacingly. But Taylor was not going to compromise with Ana's life. With surprising strength for an injured man, he rammed Tattoohead with the full force of his body. Ana, Taylor and Tattoohead were all in a heap on the ground Stringbean reached for his gun, but wasn't fast enough to avoid Taylor's good leg tripping him over. The gun fell behind Stringbean and Taylor picked it up before anyone else could... he pointed it at Tattoohead and screamed to Ana... "Run!!!"

Still handcuffed, Ana raced out of the open door with barely a thought, Jason was right behind her. The narrow passageway was dimly lit and came to a stop at a staircase, she'd only made it up two steps when she came face to face with the barrel of a gun... Jason stopped behind her, turning his back to hers... he was pointing the gun behind them at Tattoohead and Stringbean. They had caught up. Ana and Jason were trapped. The man on the staircase addressed Jason calmly.

"Lay down your weapon man, or she'll be paying for your stupidity..."

"You're not going to kill her... you need her...", Jason was still facing the two underlings, this guy was obviously the boss.

"Of course, I _need_ her... but whether I need her whole is a completely different question. Now, lay down the gun, and I'll let her be... if you don't... well let's just say, Mrs. Grey is not going to be running any time soon... But it's completely up to you young man."

Jason assessed the situation, they were trapped, and from the looks of it, their prison was somewhere underground, the only way out had to be the stairs here. He couldn't risk Ana's safety, there was no way he could guarantee that the man wouldn't shoot. He lowered the gun slowly... A punch to the gut from Tattoohead and Jason let himself fall to the ground with a grunt. They needed to think he was more wounded than he let on. Stringbean grabbed Ana by her handcuffed arm and pushed her up the stairs, while Tattoohead took Jason back to their prison.

The upstairs area had been set up akin to an interrogation room, with one small light shining on a wooden table and two chairs on opposite sides of the table facing each other. Ana tried to keep her calm as Stringbean sat her down roughly on one of the chairs. The events with Jason had made him unhappy. He undid her handcuffs from her back and cuffed them again in front of her. The man with the gun took the chair opposite her.

"That was a very stupid thing you did Ana...", he started, "admittedly, there were some extenuating circumstances... still ... very stupid."

Ana looked around the room, it looked like an old holiday cabin of some sort. _They must be keeping us in the basement._ The man noticed.

"Formulating your next plan already? And here I thought we could get to know each other a bit."

"I don't socialise with kidnappers."

The man laughed, a full throaty laugh... In another life, another circumstance she may have found him charming, comforting even... Knowing he was the reason her family was in danger, she found his niceness psychotic to say the least.

"We will get to know each other Ana, but there is something I need to address first...", he turned to Stringbean, "Kissaki... you know what to do."

His voice was calm and friendly, but something in the way he addressed the man, filled Ana with a sense of dread.

Kissaki blanched and stepped forward. He had a short knife in his right hand. He put his left hand on the table fingers splayed out. With one quick motion, he brought the knife down on the little finger of his left hand, severing the digit. There was a spurt of blood and the sound of a scream... Kissaki hadn't uttered a word.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

Christian was excited. Ana was finally getting discharged from the hospital and they could go back to Seattle. Dr Graham had given her the clean chit to travel, he'd remarked at the impressive recovery she had made in just a week. Ana's nose was still a bit swollen but he'd assured them that would go down in a few weeks. Already the surgical scars were barely even visible, they'd leave only a small trace once they healed. _And she can always get that taken care of in Seattle if she wants to._

He was desperate to get back home, back to his children, back to Seattle and back to warmer weather. _Churchill, Manitoba isn't exactly Barbados._ He held Ana's hand to help her off the bed. She was still distant, she felt cold somehow. She was just the same, she would talk to the nurses and him, but her smile... something was... missing, it felt as if she wasn't quite there.

He'd had a session with Flynn the first night after she woke up. Christian had been overwrought with emotion that day. He hadn't known what to do or what to say to Ana. He'd tried hard to get close to her, but she'd been shut down. Flynn had explained that PTSD often presented as depression. _Maybe that's it, maybe she's depressed._ The thought was sobering. He didn't want Ana to be depressed, he just wanted her to be back to normal. He just wanted things to go back the way they were before. Before the accident, before they lost Taylor, before Ana was so broken.

Christian had planned counselling sessions for her with Flynn for when they got back. Initially he'd thought that perhaps being close to her would help, but it didn't seem to be helping. She would snap at him for little things, and much as he wanted to just take her over his knee and punish her, the health center in Churchill may have frowned on it.

The trip back to Seattle was a quiet one, Ana hadn't been particularly nervous during the flight, which surprised Christian. He was amazed at her capacity to face what could have been a traumatic situation in such a short time. She'd spent most of the flight asleep though, Dr. Graham had given her some painkillers and sleeping pills, to help her sleep through the night. She seemed to be having trouble doing that in the hospital. Christian glanced over at her, and returned to his laptop. He was going over the revised contract that Akio's PA had sent over. The workforce retention clause had been trimmed considerably and a clause added on potential severance options, but overall the gist of it was intact. He'd have to get his lawyers to review it but it seemed to make sense.

Luke Sawyer stood at the arrival gate in front of Sea-Tac. There had been complete media frenzy over the loss and sudden recovery of Mrs. Anastasia Grey, and paparazzi had practically surrounded the airport. Luke approached the gate as he saw Christian and Ana walking towards it. He moved ahead to shield them both from the flash of the cameras. Christian saw him at once and led Ana towards him. She walked between the two as the crowd erupted with random questions being hurled at her. Everyone wanted to know how she had survived. They reached their car without incident, and Luke took the wheel as they settled in. He started driving towards Escala. Grace was planning to meet them there with Ted and Phoebe.

"How are you feeling, Mrs. Grey?"

"Fine", came the curt reply. Luke was a bit surprised. Ana had never been rude to him, no matter what the circumstances. He had come to see Ana as a friend not just a client. They had all been practically like family the last ten odd years that he'd worked for the Greys. Christian seemed a bit surprised at her tone too.

"Are you alright?", Luke heard him ask softly.

She nodded in reply, nicer to Christian.

Luke parked in the garage at Escala.

"Could you get the bags sent up, Luke?" Christian led Ana to the private elevator as Luke nodded.

They were alone in the elevator... Christian leaned close to Ana and whispered, "Fuck the paperwork..."

She looked back at him with a coquettish smile, leaned into him... her hand was on his waist... she whispered back, "What paperwork?"

The elevator doors opened to a smiling Grace, Teddy by her side and Phoebe in her arms. Ana stepped out to meet them, leaving a stunned and crestfallen Christian. _She couldn't have forgotten... Did she hit her head? Maybe an undiagnosed concussion?_

He stepped into the foyer and grabbed her hand,"We're going to the hospital, now!"

Grace and Ana turned to look at him. "Christian, honey, what's wrong dear?"

"I think Ana has some memory loss. The doctor in Churchill, he said they'd thought she had a concussion, but then they didn't find anything, but they probably didn't check... the idiots", he felt a rising surge of panic. Still in Grace's arms, Phoebe began to cry.

"Christian...", Grace tried to be reassuring,"you need to calm down. Ana's fine. How about this, why don't I look her over... Now, you said she seems to have memory loss, what did she forget?"

"I... It's... well.. it's private", he mumbled.

"Honey, if it's private then it's better I look her over than some intern in the hospital...", Phoebe had hidden her face in Grace's neck, "here you better hold Phoebe, she won't stop crying... I don't know what happened, she was fine till just now."

Grace turned to Ana, "Darling, why don't you come with me, let me just do a quick check."

"I'm fine, really Grace, I don't know why Christian's freaking out. I really am okay."

"I know honey, but let me check you out anyway. You know how he is."

Grace and Ana moved to the study where she could look over the damage and assess if Ana did have a residual concussion. Phoebe gripped her father tightly.

"What's going on baby" Christian asked the child softly. He couldn't figure out what had gotten into her.

"Mommy...", Phoebe cried, "I want Mommy."

"She'll be right back darling. She's just gone in with Grandma Grace to make sure she doesn't have any ouchies."

"No... No, no, no! I want Mommy!", her crying just kept getting more and more frantic.

"It's okay baby, Mommy's here, she's here, she's just in the other room. You've got to stop crying honey."

"No, Daddy! No, no! I want my real Mommy!"


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

"We will get to know each other, Ana..."

"...Intimately", the man was soft spoken, but Ana had seen what he could do. Or rather what he could get another person to do. Kissaki's sacrifice had been brutal and messy. The blood splatter from his severed finger was on Ana's shirt, and the digit itself had been left in front of her, challenging her, taunting her even, to try and cross the man. He had not batted an eyelid during the entire event. Kissaki could have cut his entire hand off in front of him and he would have just sat there and watched as if one were watching the slicing of a salad.

"Anastasia Steele... oh pardon me... it should be Anastasia Grey," he said with a smirk, "Married to Christian Grey, the famous and wealthy businessman who owns Grey Enterprises Holdings... you probably know by now that we will not need a ransom for you."

Ana kept eye contact with the man, she could not let him see how afraid she was. _Buck up, Grey, you can do this._ "It doesn't take a genius to figure that out..." she said, "but I'm sure you must be very proud of your _sinister_ plan."

The man laughed, as if her sarcasm amused him. Maybe it did. It was probably one of the few things keeping her alive right now. He got up from his chair, and came to stand behind her. Ana shivered with revulsion as he put his hands on her shoulders, slowly rubbing them. _No!_ She shook herself to get his hands off her.

"He did say you were a feisty one...", he said almost to himself. He leaned in closer to Ana.

"It's all well and good for you to be brave when you're surrounded by your posse", he whispered into her ear, "What will you do now Anastasia? You're all alone...", he nuzzled her, still speaking in the softest of voices. "No one is coming to save you, not Christian...", he kissed her neck, "...not your silly bodyguard...", another kiss, "...not your stepfather...", his breath against her ear, "...not even those silly bimbos you call your assistants...". His hands were caressing her throat, "you're well and truly alone...", they tightened around her throat slowly. Ana lost her air supply. "No one will even hear you scream... What _will_ you do?", he let go of her with a rough shove and came back around the table to face her.

"I-I.. I d-don't know what you're talking about... W-What do you even want with me?"

"With you.. nothing really... you... you're just an empty vessel for the knowledge I need... I just want to know you, that's all... I want to know you intimately Anastasia... Your hopes, your desires, your dreams, I want what you shared with Christian Grey, I want all of it... I want your past... and I want... his future..."

"Y-you want me to tell you about Christian...", the realization hit her like a brick. "You need me to tell you about our life together... the things you wouldn't know from the newspapers."

"Very smart, Mrs. Grey. Except that it's not the newspapers. Let's just say the organisation I work for, is capable of finding out a lot with very little. They're very interested in ensuring the continued prosperity of Anastasia Grey and the Grey name, it is essential to the success of our plan you see."

"No... this plan that you have... it won't work... I won't let it", she sounded braver than she felt, "I'm not telling you anything... Christian... h-he's going to figure it out... he will... you won't be able to fool him for long... whoever s-she is... she won't be able to fool him... he'll know it's not me... h-he will... and then... well then you just wait...", Ana turned her face up and looked the man straight in the eyes. It was as if saying the words had illuminated it for her. Christian may have been broken if he thought she was dead, may have been despondent then delirious on finding whoever replaced her, he may even have believed that it was her... for now. "Nothing can be faked forever... whoever she is... you better hope that she has a good hiding place... Christian _will_ see the truth... and when he does... there's no place on earth she or any of you will be safe. _That_ I promise you."

"You would be wise to cooperate Mrs Grey", it was a threat.

"No, I won't... I won't betray Christian... not ever..."

The man turned towards Tattoohead.

"Tanto... Bring him", he ordered.

Tanto disappeared for a minute and returned with Taylor.

"Are you still sure of your decision, Ana?" He drew a knife across Taylor's arm. The blood spurt was immediate.

"No! No... stop... I'll tell you... please just don't hurt him!"

Somewhere on the other side of the continent, Christian Grey woke up to a nightmare. A nightmare of Ana, handcuffed to a table, and a man rubbing her shoulders. He looked over to where she was fast asleep. She hadn't moved, it was unusual for her not to wake when he had nightmares.

This one had been different. Usually his nightmares were about him, him losing Ana, him and his mother. No, this one, this one had been strange, more intense. This time he'd dreamed of Ana, alone and scared, she'd called for him. He tried to reach her in the dream but he couldn't. He kept running towards her but the distance never diminished. He was tied to a string, no matter what he did, how hard he tried he couldn't cut those damn strings. And they kept pulling him back, pulling him away from Ana, further and further away... until all he could hear were the fading echoes of her screams.


	14. Chapter 14

Author's note: Hi all, thank you for reading, I'm really sorry it took so long to update, but I had a major writers block issue and then lost some of my work. Finally got over both though, so enjoy! 

**Chapter 14**

The buzzing of the BlackBerry woke Christian. He hadn't slept much the previous night. The nightmares had been recurring. It didn't help that Phoebe had been keeping him up as well. She wouldn't stop crying, she would only calm down if he held her and only then would she fall asleep. He'd fallen asleep in her bed that way for the last two nights. He was beginning to wonder if she needed psychiatric help. _Maybe I should call Flynn. She is **my** daughter after all, _he thought. He reached for the phone without looking.

"Grey"

"Christian?" A very worried voice came over the phone. "It's Ray... What's going on with Ana? She won't answer my calls, I haven't heard from her when you got back. Is she ok?"

"What do you mean she won't answer your calls? She's fine, Ray, I think she's in the bedroom. Give me a few minutes and I'll get her."

"Where are you?" His tone was soft but accusatory.

"With Phoebe, she's been having trouble sleeping... Look... let me call you back in a few minutes." He didn't know why he felt the need to justify to Ray.

Christian pulled the blanket over Phoebe and slid off her bed. He closed her door with a soft click and walked to their bedroom. Ana wasn't in bed, but the bed looked unmade. _That's odd._ He walked down the stairs and saw her sitting at the breakfast bar, dressed and ready. She had eggs and toast on her plate.

"Going somewhere?" It was almost amusing to see her.

"Of course, to the office."

"You're kidding!" _There's no way in hell!_

"Why would I joke about this? I need to get back to work." She seemed serious.

"Ana..." he started gently, "you just got out of the hospital, you should be in bed. You don't need to head into work today or tomorrow or even for this week. Just take it easy."

"No, no, I'm fine..." she waved her hand dismissively, "I'm perfectly fit, and I want to go to the office."

"What's going on, Ana!" Christian was beginning to lose his patience. "You won't answer Ray's phone calls, you've barely spent time with the children, you don't talk... it's like you're someone else completely!"

This seemed to make an impact, she looked up at Christian. _Finally! I'm getting through to her._

"Christian, I'm fine... it's been a lot to deal with and I'm just... I'm not ready to talk about it yet. I just want to get to the office and do something to take my mind off it."

"Off what exactly, Ana..." he sat down next to her and took her hand in his. "Please, Ana, just talk to me... I know you're going through a lot... God knows we've all been through hell and back when we thought you were..." he couldn't bring himself to say the word. "I just want to help you get back to yourself, the children, Ray... they all need you... I need you... you've refused to talk to anyone about the accident, or losing Taylor, or even ending up on the shore... and I'm okay to give you time... but not if I lose you in the process... Ana, please... please let me help you... let Flynn help you... let me back in."

Christian looked into Ana's eyes, he was desperate to find her there, but there was nothing. Ana's lightness of spirit was gone. Her eyes were nothing but cold pools reflecting his loneliness, his longing for the woman he had beside him who wasn't quite there.

Ana squeezed his hand and looked at him, "I'm fine, Christian, really... I just need to get back to work. I just want to go back to being in charge of my own life... I don't want to have to think about the crash or any of it... I'll call Ray... I just... I'm running late now Christian, I've gotta go."

Ana stood up to leave. "Fine.." sighed Christian, "Sawyer will drive you..." he was hoping she would see how upset he was, and maybe even stay like she always did, but she just muttered a quick thanks as her heels clicked on the cold marble floor. Christian clutched his hair as he watched her go. Ana's behaviour had changed so much since the accident. On the surface she seemed exactly the same, but there was just something... something different about her. He couldn't put his finger on it, but he knew it was there. He hadn't even been able to get close to her and it was frustrating. Ever since the day he saw her at the hospital, ever since he'd gotten her back, every time he tried to kiss her or touch her meaningfully, he just felt wrong. _Maybe it's the accident... I better talk to Flynn. Maybe I'm scared of losing her again? Self-diagnosis, Grey?_

Christian started walking to the bedroom, wondering what to do about Ana. He knew she needed help, _she needs to talk to Flynn. But how do I get her to do that... she's probably said the most words to Mrs Fields._

Mrs Fields was filling in temporarily while Gail took a leave of absence and sorted out Jason's paperwork. She'd been helpful but not as good as Gail obviously. Still... He turned on the shower and let his mind wander back to one of those sunny weekend afternoons with the kids and Ana. They'd decided to watch old movies and Freaky Friday had been on. Christian smirked, if there was any time when Freaky Friday was an allegory this was it. He froze as a thought crossed his mind. _No, that's not possible... Is it? Could this be someone else?_

The more he thought about it, the more it made sense to him. _Ana would never behave like this! PTSD be damned! This is someone else! It has to be!_

He turned off the shower and grabbed a towel. The possibility seemed remote. Even if it was the case, why? And what did that mean for the real Ana? He grabbed his phone from the side table and dialled.

"Mr. Grey?" Welch answered on the first ring.

"Welch, I need you to do something for me. I need you to figure out if Ana is really Ana."

"Beg pardon, sir? You want me to investigate your wife?"

"That's just it, Welch... I don't think she's my wife."


	15. Chapter15

**Chapter 15**

"You... don't think she's your wife? ... Sir? Are you ok?"

"Yes, I'm fine, Welch. I need to you to pull up Ana's hospital records from her time in Churchill... look for anything that could tell you if this is really Ana, or if this is some sort of Freaky Friday thing."

"You... want... me to check if your wife's been... possessed?" Welch was beginning to think his employer had finally succumbed to the stress of being Christian Grey.

"Not possessed! What do you think I am? Crazy? I want you to check if she's been replaced by a doppelgänger. And why!" Christian slammed the phone down. _Maybe I am crazy? ... No, I'm right... I know I'm right._

A confused Welch stared at the beeping receiver. Christian Grey was investigating his own wife?

* * *

Ana opened her eyes to pitch black. For a second she had forgotten where she was. _Oh yes, Cabin in the Woods._ She'd fainted for the second time during the "interrogation", she didn't even understand what they wanted to know. It wasn't like there was an encyclopedia of Christianisms and Ana-isms that she could spout off. From what she could tell they wanted to know about Christian and her private conversations, but how much could she tell them without telling them everything. She couldn't betray Christian and she wouldn't allow them to have any more information than absolutely necessary. _No, I definitely can't tell them everything. It'll get harder from here on out though. Think Grey, think!_

Her eyes adjusted to the light as she looked over to where Jason was chained to the wall, significantly worse for the wear. Their captors, true to their brutality had pulled him out for fresh target practice every time they thought Ana may be withholding anything. It had been really hard, but Ana had managed not to give away anything that was key to her and Christian. She'd told them about fights they'd had, giving away only the most basic information. The thought of some other woman being around Christian, Ted and Phoebe gave her chills, she didn't want to risk their safety and the only way to do that was to hope that Christian would figure out it wasn't her. _If only there was a way to reach him._

Jason stirred. He seemed to be coming out of his stupor. He blinked his eyes to adjust to the lack of light, and called out for Ana.

"Ana... are.. you here?" He was weak.

Ana moved closer to him, their captors had chosen to keep her unbound as a gesture of their magnanimity. They hadn't stopped beating on Jason though. Kissaki had been particularly ferocious with him. _He blames Jason for losing his finger._

"Hey, I'm here... you... you doing okay? Should I ask them to send a doc again?"

"No, no, I'm fine. Just a bit of wear and tear..."

"Jason..." Ana's voice dropped to a whisper, "We need to figure out how to get out of here..."

"Ana, there's no way... we can't break out... even if we could… I'm in no condition to fight or run... I could try and get you out, but I don't know where we are."

"Look, they've got me telling them stuff about me and Christian, I don't know how long I can keep telling them the small stuff... sooner or later they're going to figure out that I'm keeping the important things from them... then Christian, Ted, Phoebe, Gail… they're all in danger... We need to ... we just have to get out of here."

"I know, Ana!" Jason looked desperate. "I've thought of everything I could, but these guys don't have phones, they don't let us out of the room even if we could get hold of one, and we don't know where we are! Hell, Mr. Grey probably doesn't even think you **need** to be found!" Jason looked at Ana, suddenly alert, as if there was a sudden thought that crossed his mind..."Mr. Grey... doesn't think... you're missing"

"What are you thinking, Jason?"

He looked up at her and said, "What if we could get a message to him?"

"How? You said there's no phone."

"I know, but is there anything you could tell them that Christian would know immediately was a red flag? Like I don't know... something that only you would know..."

"Jason..."

"no never mind ... I… no… it wouldn't work... I don't even know if she would say something."

"Jason…shut up! You're a genius! I know exactly what to say!" Ana hugged a weak and confused Jason. _Yes! This could work._ But she had to be very careful in what she said, Christian would have to figure it out without the imposter realizing what she had said... _I just hope he figures it out. Christian... baby... Please... figure it out... come find me._


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

 _I must be going crazy..._

Ana had spent two hours with her interrogator that morning, she still didn't know his name, _Ted Bundy seems fitting._ It hadn't been easy but maybe she had managed to mention something that Christian would know for a fact was untrue. All she needed was a tiny clue to arouse his suspicion and hopefully his overprotective nature would kick in. She glanced over at Taylor in his cot, he had been getting weaker. It didn't help that Kissaki and Tanto made every effort to speed up his decline. She wasn't sure how long either of them would last. _Hurry up, Christian... I need you._

* * *

 _"They're an exact match sir"_

It wasn't possible, and yet all the evidence pointed otherwise.

 _This cannot be her!_

No matter what... There was no way she could ever be this aloof, not to the children at least. But the DNA tests were consistently saying this was Ana, every report blood or bone matched her original reports. Even her slight iron deficiency, showed up in the reports from Churchill.

"Sir? Are you there?" Welch's voice cackled over the receiver.

"Yes, I'm here... Is there anything at all you can tell me from the report?"

"No sir, nothing further on that... but..."

"But what? Out with it Welch"

"Well, I took another look at the details on the crash, and there seem to be a lot of things that don't make a lot of sense."

"Hang on a second, Welch", Christian closed the door to his study, "Go ahead"

"Well sir, the jet supposedly crashed in the Hudson Bay, but Search and Rescue found no trace of the beacon. Now, its not uncommon for the beacon or the black box to be carried away by ocean currents, but this time of year, the currents on the Hudson aren't strong enough to carry away an entire tail section of the aircraft..."

"What aren't you telling me Welch?"

"I took the liberty of looking over the investigator report and particularly on the fuselage section that was recovered...There was... something a bit odd about it."

"Get to the point, Welch"

"Well, Mr. Grey, the official report says that the aircraft crashed because of pilot error, but that may not be the case. Now without actually getting an expert to look at the wreckage its a bit hard to be certain. However, I'm fairly convinced that the crash wasn't an accident."

"Yes. I've been wondering if it was sabotage. But tell me how that's even possible? It's absurd, we've got the most expensive security teams in the world and the most extensive background checks"

"Yes sir, and I've been thinking about that as well. The week before Mrs. Grey took the jet, it had been serviced in the hangar at Portland. I'd like to take a look at security footage and service logs and see if there's anything that stands out."

"Ok, do what you have to... and Welch..."

"Yes, Sir?"

"Keep looking at the DNA results."

"Sir... I'm not sure what more I can look at."

"Well, you better figure it out, because that woman in my house cannot be Ana!"

* * *

He swirled the whisky around the crystal glass. _Any minute now._

As if on cue, the phone next to him rang.

"Is it done?"

The voice on the other side hesitated.

"Not yet, we... we need some more time. We have the information, it's just, these things... these things need to be done carefully. We cannot let anyone suspect."

"You have 2 weeks."

Akio Imai put the receiver back on the cradle. _Soon... Soon this will all be over._


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

Christian awoke to the sound of heels clicking on his bedroom floor. It had been another restless night.

"Good morning. I'm glad you're awake. We need to talk."

He sat up in bed. Ana was dressed in her work clothes.

"Of course, _Ana,_ you know I'm always here for you." He tried hard to keep the edge out of his voice. _Careful, Grey._

She sat softly on the edge of the bed. _Just like my Ana would._

"Christian... I know...", she seemed to be searching for the right words, "I know we've been... struggling... since the... the accident"

Ana turned to face him. The morning sunlight streamed into the bedroom, tiny rays scattering into her falling hair. She pushed an errant curl behind her ear.

"I'm sorry, Christian, I really am... I know... I haven't been the best wife... or the best mother, of late... I've just... been finding it terribly hard... to keep it together. I know I'm the one you always lean on, I'm your rock.. and believe me, there's nothing I want more, than for things to go back to what they were, but I just... I... I need you to have faith. I need you to believe when I say I'm trying... And I really am, I promise... Please, my love.. just... just promise me that you'll have patience with me."

Christian looked at her. _Maybe it really is you, Ana._

It was a deep sigh, of resignation or acceptance one could not know, but he sighed,

"I promise Ana, you know you never have to ask. I promise I'll be here for you. No matter what. You're all I've ever wanted. You and Teddy and Phoebe, you are what makes me complete. I would go to the moon and back for you Ana. All I ask... is for you to let me in."

"And I will Christian, I promise. Just right now, I need some space and some time. Can you give me that?"

"Of course, Ana." He pouted a bit. _Don't you know how hard that is for me._

"Thank you darling. I knew you would understand. It's what I've always loved about you, how you can just let me go."

"What do you mean?" _Wait ... what?_

"I mean, the way you always let me be myself, be free, independent. I always loved that about you. The way you took care of me, and how you never bound me by any rules..." there was a single tear running down her face, "oh, look I'm just being silly. Thank you Christian."

She leaned close and kissed him. And that was all he needed.

To a casual observer, they could have looked like any other couple in love. The real Ana could have told the difference.

His eyes glistened with a fury unlike any he had felt before. They were a thousand suns all at once, and to anyone who truly knew Christian Grey, in this state he could very well have committed murder.

He swung his feet off the bed and stood up. Ana's eyes were locked on his. Seated, he was taller than her, but standing in front of her, the way he was, he towered over her. He put his left hand on her shoulder, and before she could react, brought his right down on her face, hard.

She hit the bed squarely, her scream drowned out into goose feather pillows.

"WHERE IS SHE?" he bellowed, "WHERE IS MY WIFE!"

The woman looked up at him with a bewildered expression on her face.

"Christian? What do you mean, I'm here.. I'm right here.."

"You?" he leaned on her menacingly, there was a naked fury in his eyes.

"How dare you! You. Are. Not. HER!" Christian grabbed the woman by the arm, "tell me the truth, what have you done with her?! If you hurt one hair on her head, I swear you will pay for it with every goddam fibre of your worthless being!"

"Christian, I promise it's me... It's..."

A crash at the door stopped her midway.

"Mr Grey! Please, you must stop!" Mrs Fields ran to the woman, "Mrs Grey, are you alright?"

"Get out!"

"No. Mr. Grey, please... you must stop, let me call someone for you... please just let Mrs. Grey go..."

It was the wrong thing to say, and Mrs. Fields knew it, the minute the words left her lips.

Naked fury gave way to brute force and Christian, death grip on her arm, dragged the woman out of his bedroom, shoving Mrs Fields out of the way in the process. The woman pulled against him, screaming for help as he roughly pushed her into the study. Her cheek was a deep red from where he had struck her.

"Christian, please... I don't know what's gotten into you... please... just... just calm down..."

"Whats gotten into me? .. You want to know what's gotten into me?... What's gotten into me is that I've finally figured out the truth, and I can't believe it took me this long to see it... I've wasted so much time... and now... now I know... I know you're not her... you're not my Ana!"


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

"Now I know ... you're not my Ana!"

Christian advanced towards the woman, _I don't even know her name._ His worst fears were coming true, this was not Ana, and god only knew who had her, and why, and if they still even had her. The woman kept her eyes locked on him as he approached her, she seemed ready to bolt at the first opportunity.

 _Calm the fuck down, Grey, we still need to find Ana._

The thought of Ana, still missing, maybe even dead, sobered him a bit. Not taking his eyes off the stranger, _how does she look exactly like her,_ he whipped out his phone and pressed the speed dial.

On the other end of the line, a groggy Welch answered. "Hello?"

"Welch, I've confirmed that this is not her. You need to find out where Ana is."

The woman took a step towards him, "Christian, please," she seemed to be crying, "Why won't you believe me, it's me, I'm Ana..."

She reached out to touch him, and for a second Christian hesitated.

 _What if I'm wrong? Maybe it is Ana? ... no... no it can't be her... it's not her... is it?_

"Sir?" Welch's voice cackled over the phone, even as he moved to disconnect. She stepped closer to him, hands reaching to caress his face.

 _Just like Ana would._

He snapped away as her hand cradled his cheek, everything seemed wrong, her touch was wrong, the things she said were wrong, _what was that about the rules_ , Ana would never think it was easy for him to let her go.

 _This. Is. Not. Ana! God knows what they've done to her... Ana, baby, I'm going to find you._

Still maintaining eye contact, Christian walked backwards to the table in the study, he didn't want her to bolt. He needed some way for her to tell him where Ana was. He needed... leverage.

"There are a lot of things about me... Ms Whoever You Are... that many people _think_ they know. Some know the truth, others a version of it... some however, only think they know. Ana, well, **my Ana** , knew the difference between the truth and the perception." _Almost there, keep talking Grey._ He looked down at the drawer for an instant, to check if it was still there. _Yes!_

It only took one smooth movement, and he raised Leila's gun to the woman's face.

"Now, tell me the truth... Who are you and what have you done with Ana."

The door to the study crashed open... "FREEZE! Put down the gun and put your hands in the air."

 _Fuck!_

"Officer... I'm sure this is just a misunderstanding..."

"Well, whatever it is, we can clear it up downtown... Now, I'm not going to tell you twice... Put the gun down, put your hands in the air and walk over here, slowly."

The officer's weapon was pointed squarely at Christian.

"Mr. Grey? If you don't comply I will have to shoot you."

"Then go ahead and shoot me, because I am sure as hell not letting this **imposter** get away with kidnapping my wife!"

Mrs. Fields appeared just outside the doorway, "Mrs. Grey, are you okay?"

The woman appeared shaken as she called out, "I'm fine, Mrs. Fields"

The officer took in the scene, Christian, behind the desk, pointing a gun at a woman, accusing her of kidnapping his wife, _Mrs. Grey presumably,_ and the woman claiming to be the alleged kidnap victim. _I'm getting too old for this._

"Mr. Grey, I understand that there seems to be a problem. Why don't you put down the gun and we can go down to the station and sort it all out."

"No, I think I'll keep the gun up, Officer, because you've already called for backup and I have maybe a minute before they get here and burst through the door, so I'm going to ask this lady who claims to be my **wife** , to tell me one last thing before your posse takes me away..."

Christian looked directly into the eyes of the woman who was Ana's reflection. He could tell now, that she was nothing more than a shadow compared to his wife. How could he have taken so long to see it. Still, there was only one way to be sure. He had to ask...

"Tell me... How is it that you are so beautiful?"

She held his gaze, but it was not the fierce intensity of Ana's eyes. No, this imposter's soulless eyes showed only confusion ... and perhaps... fear... fear that Ana could never have had. Ana knew the truth, that the monsters were his, and his alone. It was she who had found him in the depths of darkness and filled him with her light, she, his saviour, his shield against the storm, she, who had made him beautiful. Him, the lonely man in the moon and her by his side...his Tseh N'io. Ana.


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

Luke Sawyer was concerned. Things were not going well. It had been fifteen days since they had found Mrs. Grey and brought her home, but Mr Grey had not once been in a good mood. If anything, he had been worse than his usual sullen self. The whole house was tense, all the time. Gail leaving was a double blow. The truth that Taylor was truly never coming back had been much harder to handle than she had thought. And as great a housekeeper Mrs. Fields was, Luke missed Gail terribly. She was the only one who could understand the void they felt. Taylor had been more than a mentor to Luke, more even than a friend. In the years working for the Grey's, Luke had come to see his senior as a brother. They had both served in the military, though in different wars and they had both come home broken and scarred. Both had found ways to pick up the pieces of their lives, Taylor had found his home in Gayle but his happiness was only allowed to last a few moments. Were their sins so great that they would be cut down even as they tried to find redemption? _I hope you're at peace now brother... that those scars you carried are healed now..._

A scream and a crash pulled Luke from his thoughts... _Fuck_. He drew his gun and followed the sound in the direction of the master bedroom ready for an intruder only to be confronted by a furious Christian, dragging Ana into the study. In his one moment of hesitation, Mrs. Fields had already dialed 911.

 _Fuck, fuck, fuck!_

Things escalated. Two police officers burst into the house, guns drawn. _How'd they get here so fast?_ Before he could even think about entering the study, Luke found himself staring down the barrel of a uniformed officer's gun. The situation was out of control. And it was his fault.

He raised his arms slowly, adopting the accepted posture of surrender. Leaning slowly, he placed his gun on the cold marble floor kicking it away. In two quick strides the officer reached him and zip tied his hands. His partner was already in the study, bringing a ziptied Christian Grey out, while Mrs. Fields held a shivering Ana in her arms as she escorted her towards her bedroom. The house seemed to fall silent all of a sudden, as the officers started to speak to their backup over the radio. He wasn't really listening to what they were saying. Not until he heard the words "... right to an attorney."

* * *

"YOU TWO TIMING BITCH!"

The door slammed open, and Ana felt rough hands on her arms jerking her out of her mattress and shoving her face into the floor. She felt the cold metal barrel against the back of her head.

"Tell me why," he snarled, "...I shouldn't shoot you right-fucking-now. What the FUCK did you do?"

"I don't know, I don't know, I promise... I... I told you everything, about me, about Christian, about the kids... please..."

"You're lying... I should've known not to trust a fucking whore."

"No... no... please... I'm not, I'm... I'm telling the truth... I swear!"

The man gritted his teeth and leaned closer to her. She could smell whisky and sweat.

"Maybe I should just take you out back right now, have some fun... maybe that'll teach you to fuck with me..."

"Leave her alone you asshole!" Taylor's voice may have been weak, but his spirit was not.

She felt him smile... that evil, sadistic smile as he whispered into her ear.

"Or maybe **,** I should just shoot your friend? _Then_ I'll take you right here... right on top of his lifeless body... and _then_ you'll know what it means... messing around with me."

With a rough shove the man got off Ana, landing a sharp kick to Jason's ribs as he left the room. It was pitch dark again.

 _Christian, you figured it out..._

A weight lifted from Ana's chest and despite her growing anxiety for Jason and for her own safety, she felt freer than she had since her capture. For the first time since that fateful day she had stepped on the jet, she felt like she could breathe.

She had... hope.

* * *

Mrs Fields laid the throw around the shivering girl. The bruises on her arm had begun to darken. They would be deep purple soon.

"There, there, my dear, don't worry. I won't let him hurt you."

She put her arm around the whimpering girl. _Is this why they fired the previous housekeeper? Maybe she didn't want to be here? She should have just reported it._

"Mrs. Grey... Anastasia dear, we need to get you to the hospital now."

"Annie"

"I'm sorry dear?"

"Call me Annie"

"Annie?"

"It's just... easier..." Her voice seemed small and distant, "It's... It's what mum... She used to call me... Christian... didn't like it... He calls me Ana."

"Of course, dear... May I... May I call someone for you, Annie? A friend, perhaps? Or, your parents?"

"No! No.. please.. I just, I don't want anyone to know."

"But dear, you must tell someone... why don't you tell me... how long has this _abuse_ been going on?"

Annie sniffed a bit. She looked scared.

"It was fine.. at.. at first... he was fine... but he.. he just..." her sentence trailed off as she wrapped herself fully into Mrs. Fields arms and collapsed into tears.

The matron pulled her closer. This was not the first time she had seen a man hit.

"It's alright dear, you just let it out," she took a pause, "my dear... I must ask... do you believe your children are safe? With his parents?"

Annie pulled away slowly. "Yes... yes.. I think they're fine... for now... I.. I don't think they should be back here."

A slight cough from the doorway led both women to look up, as one of the officers entered the room.

"Excuse me, Mrs. Grey. I'm Officer Bryant. We'd like to take a statement. Or you can come down to the station to file charges if you like."

"No!"

The vehemence of Annie's reaction wasn't surprising to Mrs. Fields. How many times had she seen wives suffering silently at the hands of violent men. No, this wasn't surprising at all. Of course she wouldn't want to file charges. She loved him after all. And then there were the children, the house and the business, not necessarily in that order.

The officer wasn't so convinced though.

"Mrs. Grey, I would strongly advise that you file charges against him. We can issue a restraining order, please you really needn't worry, we can protect you. He won't hurt you again."

"No, Officer... Bryant is it? No, I really don't want to press any charges... My husband.. Christian.. he's been ... he's been under a lot of stress since my accident... he just .. he needs some help that's all. He's been having hallucinations... I'm not sure.."

"Are you sure you don't want to press charges? This man should not be around children if he's mentally unstable."

"Yes.. yes.. I'm sure... My children have been at their grandparents. It's just me for now. Christian sent them away a few days ago. He said he wanted me to have some quiet time. I think .. maybe... maybe I should have asked him to join me." Annie tugged the wrap closer, "I.. I'm sorry.. I just.. I need to rest."

"Of course Mrs. Grey. We'll take him down to the station for tonight. We can release him in the morning once you have made your decision on a clear head. I would strongly urge you to take him to a psychiatrist, however. If you say he's been having hallucinations he may need to be put into a more secure facility, to ensure that he is not a danger to himself or others around him."

"Yes... yes of course. Thank you Officer."

Officer Bryant walked up to his partner as he escorted Christian Grey to the holding cell. There had been no resistance from the Grey scion, in fact he had not said a word through the entire journey to the station, not a word the entire time of booking, nothing. There was practically no reaction from the man and however hard he tried, the veteran officer couldn't shake the feeling that _something_ didn't quite add up.


End file.
